Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

It is very rare that I ever think this, let alone write it in a review, but this book really made me want to be a teenager again. But only if I could take this book back with me. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is the latest from author duo Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan, possibly best known for the hipster novel, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

Dash, a snarly teen who manipulates his divorced parents to leave him on his own for Christmas in New York, is browsing in his favourite bookshop when he discovers a red notebook which tempts him to turn the next page, if he dares. The notebook left by Lily, a loveable misfit, takes Dash and eventually Lily on a series of journeys around the iconic city. But in trying to outwit each other, do they miss their chance to get to know each other?

2010, to me, has been the year of wonderful male characters and Dash is the icing on the literary cake. While Lily is written so true to form that any sensitive teenage girl will feel her story cringingly familiar, it is young Dash’s honesty and vulnerability that really make this book something more than just hipster lit. Deliciously written and wonderfully paced, this is even better than Nick and Norah’s adventure. Full of irony, dangerous truths, Christmas deliciousness and just the right dash of cool, you won’t want to leave Dash and Lily’s world.